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Jaime Le McMurtry and Adam Scott Jones wedding

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Robert Nause, owner of Top Value Kitchens, has designed fashion forward kitchens for nearly two decades

<p>Tony Hudak entered the thick stand of beech saplings and hit the lottery.</p><p>It was late January and Hudak, who is from Noxen, was in Wyoming County searching for shed antlers. The was a dusting of snow on the ground, and Hudak could tell by the numerous deer tracks and droppings that he found a bedding area. The young saplings provided thick cover low to the ground, and Hudak knew that if a buck passed through with antlers ready to drop, the limbs of the beech trees might be enough to pull it off.</p><p>He was right.</p><p>As Hudak inched through the thick cover, he found a shed antler almost where he stepped. The large antler had been dropped recently, Hudak surmised, because it was frozen to the ground.</p><p>&#8220;It wasn&#8217;t there long and I knew the buck had to drop the other antler somewhere nearby because that beech was so thick,&#8221; Hudak said.</p><p>As he stood and scanned the area around him, Hudak saw something sticking up from the ground below a hemlock tree.</p><p>Tines.</p><p>It was the match to the first antler Hudak found, and together the set formed a 7-point rack with impressive mass and an estimated 20-inch inside spread.</p><p>&#8220;It was the matching set of a buck I had been hunting during the season, and I was happy to learn it made it through,&#8221; Hudak said. &#8220;This was the first matching set of sheds I&#8217;ve found and it&#8217;s something I won&#8217;t forget.&#8221;</p><p>As bucks begin to drop their antlers as early as January and throughout winter, it opens up another &#8220;hunting&#8221; season as many hit the woods on the search for shed antlers.</p><p>The lack of snow on the ground aids in the search for shed antlers, and it&#8217;s the reason why Chris Denmon will be on the lookout earlier this year. Denmon, who is president of the Northeast PA Chapter of Whitetails Unlimited, usually waits until March to begin scanning the woods for shed antlers. By then, he said, the snow is usually gone and the antlers are easier to spot.</p><p>&#8220;Since there&#8217;s no snow, I&#8217;m anxious to get out there,&#8221; Denmon said. &#8220;Maybe I can beat the mice and porcupines, which chew them up pretty good.&#8221;</p><p>There are a number of factors that determine when a buck will shed its antlers. The process is triggered by a decrease in testosterone that causes cells at the base of the antlers to reabsorb calcium. The re-absorption process is quick, and usually antlers fall off within a day.</p><p>Other factors contributing to when a buck will shed its antlers include stress from the rut and weather. Denmon said large, mature bucks tend to drop their antlers first because they have been busy during the rut, decreasing their physical condition.</p><p>Stress from a severe winter can also lead to casting of the antlers while a mild winter could mean bucks hold onto their antlers longer.</p><p>In his book &#8220;Whitetail Savvy&#8221;, Dr. Leonard Lee Rue III wrote that out of the hundreds of shed antlers he&#8217;s collected, he only found four pairs, which further highlights the rarity of Hudak&#8217;s find.</p><p>&#8220;When I&#8217;ve been turkey hunting in other states, mainly Texas, I found numerous sheds. They&#8217;re like apples in a orchard,&#8221; Hudak said. &#8220;But I&#8217;ve never found a matching set until now.&#8221;</p><p>Aside from a late winter hobby, Denmon uses shed antler hunting as a means to scout for the following deer season. Many of the sheds Denmon finds are in feeding or bedding areas - or along trails connecting the two, and when sheds from larger bucks are found the location may give away the area it hides during hunting season.</p><p>&#8220;You find a shed, you have a good chance of being right in that buck&#8217;s area the following season,&#8221; Denmon said. &#8220;A lot of times those bucks never leave those areas.&#8221;</p><p>Other areas where Denmon has had success finding shed antlers include south-facing hillsides where deer warm in the sun, underneath stands of hemlock trees, where a trail crosses a stream and along food plots.</p><p>&#8220;My best year finding sheds was 10 years. I had a real good stand of turnips and there was heavy snow. When the snow melted I found 13 sheds either in the food plot or within 200 yards of it,&#8221; Denmon said. &#8220;And none of those sheds were matches.&#8221;</p><p>Denmon also focuses where trails meet a stream or a fence - places where a deer has to jump to cross an object. When it lands on the other side, Denmon said, the impact can jar the antler loose.</p><p>While focusing on the right habitat can increase the odds of finding a shed antler, Denmon said there&#8217;s no replacement for luck.</p><p>&#8220;Just get out there and put the time in scanning the woods,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Maybe you&#8217;ll get lucky.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_sheds1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tony Hudak with the matching set of antlers he found last month in Wyoming County. Hudak said the 7-point rack had an estimated inside spread of 20 inches. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_sheds1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Tony Hudak with the matching set of antlers he found last month in Wyoming County. Hudak said the 7-point rack had an estimated inside spread of 20 inches. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Sheds2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hunting for shed antlers is a popular late winter hobby, but it is rare to find a matching set. Tony Hudak found this set in Wyoming County, and the antlers are from a buck he hunted during the previous rifle season. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Sheds2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Hunting for shed antlers is a popular late winter hobby, but it is rare to find a matching set. Tony Hudak found this set in Wyoming County, and the antlers are from a buck he hunted during the previous rifle season. </caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted photo </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Hunting for shed antlers is a popular winter hobby